Talent of the North – Great Britain under-24 Mixed
by Elise Camilleri-Brennan
The Summer of 2023 was a very exciting one for a group of Scottish* under-24 ultimate frisbee players, jetting off to lovely Nottingham for the World under-24 Ultimate Championships.
* not actually Scottish, but based in Scotland at the time of playing, and that’s enough
For the third and final installment in this series, we have Ben Tang and Leon Williams, the last of our GBu24 superstars! Were we saving the best interviews till last? Read to find out!
P.S. Check out the footnotes for a front-row seat to the action; you’ll see what I mean.
What team(s) did you play for during the 2023 season?
Ben – Alba and University of St Andrews.
Leon – Alba. I didn’t play for a university team because I was rehabbing my knees.
When did you start playing ultimate, and why?
Ben – In 2016, I was on a year abroad in HangZhou and the football season had ended. Shoutout to my first frisbee coach, Wanglu, who introduced me to the sport and threw with me when he was a supervisor on a school trip.
Leon – I started playing at Glasgow University in 2018, at the tail-end of Glasgow’s ‘golden years’. I switched over from playing badminton because of the people and my preference of team sports, because I was playing for my team not myself (less pressure innit).
Why did you trial for GBu24?
Ben – Having played against GB in 2018 in Waterloo when I was playing for Hong Kong, I saw it as a standard that I wanted to reach.
Leon – Why not? What’s there to lose? My teammates on Alba and other friends encouraged me, but I would’ve regardless!
Considering you both played for an Open team last season, why did you choose to play for the Mixed squad?
Ben – Vibes. I really wanted to play with Maddy Leong who kindly took me under her wing when I first entered the UK ultimate scene. I played for Hong Kong under-24 in 2019 and really enjoyed it. Playing mixed this season was a challenge for me to top my individual performance and the overall experience itself. I’ve had a great time playing in the open division, and whilst I’m not bored of it, I just wanted a new experience!
Leon – I was encouraged by Josh East and Ben Tang. I’ve also always wanted to try mixed but never had the opportunity to at a high level. (P.S. Sorry Oxford, I would’ve played if it wasn’t a world’s year I swear!)
What did you do when you found out you made the squad?
Ben – I texted my old coaches from that 2018 team and my parents to thank them for giving me the opportunity in 2018 that really sparked my passion for the sport. So, special shoutout to Lewis Glover (UK frisbee legend), Paul Bartels and Sunny So (who coached HK in Nottingham). I had a practical due the day after, so I probably just went straight back to work afterwards!
Leon – Asked Ben Tang if he made it in.
What was training like?
Ben – Way too much travelling, and honestly, that was more stressful than the training itself. Vibes were immaculate at training. Since it was probably the first time a lot of us played together, people were super keen to chat about their playing preferences. At the first training, Meg Daly (coach) gave us all cookies right before we warmed up, and I proceeded to throw up.
Leon – I didn’t find it that difficult, but it was really enjoyable because of the amazing people on the team. Lots of travel up and down the country was both expensive and tiring, with many late nights on the train. Uni also took a bit of a hit since it was my final year, but it ended up fine. It was hard work, but I looked forward to every single training and tournament, and they were often the highlights of my month. I loved spending a night in a scout hut with great people, and playing really fun, exciting frisbee.
Tell us your highest highlight.
Ben – Having Cam Weir kiss my feet. Or beating Japan on the livestream. I can’t pick between the two.
Leon – Meeting and becoming great friends with so many amazing people on the team. These relationships grew throughout the season, on and off the pitch, and climaxed at World’s when everyone celebrated together after scoring. And most importantly, after beating Japan (the second seed!). I don’t think I’ll ever get a frisbee-high as high as this season. 1 2
Which National team was your favourite to play against, and why?
Ben – Probably Japan. It’s just fun playing against a team which has a completely different game ‘philosophy’ than what we’re used to. We also had a specific game plan going into that match which we threw away, and it was interesting to see how the in-game adjustments really affected how the game felt.
Leon – Japan. They were such difficult opponents and played with such an interesting and different style to any of the teams I’ve played before. They were also very sportsmanlike and understanding! Although we beat them in pool-play, through an unfortunate turn of events we had to play them again at a later stage and were unsuccessful. Just goes to show their resilience!
What’s your biggest takeaway from the GBu24 experience?
Ben – 1) Out of the four Ben’s on the team, I was the last one to get a nickname, so now I’m the superior Ben;
2) it’s expensive; and
3) you reap what you sow – everyone who made it on the squad put a in lot of effort individually and into forming relationships to get themselves on that team.
Leon – To keep your head up, because you can beat any team on a good day, but that works both ways as any team can beat yours on a bad day; That it’s really nice to play on a team made up of players all around the same age; That Josh East is a whiny bastard!; That English people are alright!; That the best frisbee is played by the best friends; and that mixed ultimate is really fun.
Do you have any advice for players wanting to take their game to the next level and are considering trialling for GBu24 in the future?
Ben – Play as much frisbee as you can! The trial process is super tough, especially if you’re a brand new face. What made the process easy for me is that I knew people going in, which made chatting to coaches and potential teammates a lot easier. This meant that during trials I knew what they wanted to see from me and since I knew other trialists, they knew what to expect from me. If you’re charismatic you should have no problem! Individually, I’m a true believer in filming yourself when you’re out working on your game. Having footage means that you can objectively point out where you need to improve.
Leon – Try to get experience and advice from as high a level as possible. Be a sponge and write down the advice other people give you, and try and put it into practice (some of this is nonsense though, because any of the Alba boys will say I don’t listen and/or understand anything that’s going on).
Don’t worry too much about the trial, other than about doing your best. Show you’re interested and keen to learn. Regardless of the outcome, you’ll learn a lot from the trials. Also have fun; if you’re relaxed and confident, it comes out on the pitch and people will trust you.
Who is your main influence right now in Scottish ultimate, and why?
Ben – I think all Scottish players are too tall to be a playing inspiration for me. But everyone on Alba constantly inspires me to be better.
Leon – Joel Terry has always inspired me with his tactical mind, heads up defending, and cool head. He’s been teaching me since I began as a fresher at Glasgow uni, so I owe a lot to him and would describe him as my main idol. He often has a mindset of not overthinking the game; unless you’re a captain or coach who has to make tactical decisions, you just need to do a job. Not to mention Phil Webb too!
Other people that inspire me are the boys on Alba; Greg Stewart has really impressed me with how much he’s improved the past couple seasons by really putting his mind into the game. Camy Agnew is always outstanding. The rest of the boys are nothing but supportive and always motivate me to improve.
Honestly, I could name every single person I’ve met in frisbee who has encouraged me throughout my time playing.
What are your plans for the 2024 season?
Ben – Initially, I was going to trial to represent Hong Kong in WUGC 2024, but the male-dominated team selection board is forcing the best male-matching players to play in the “more competitive” Open division rather than Mixed. So I’m probably just gonna stream the games instead #letusplaymixed. The current backup plan is to beat Clapham.
Leon – I might take a summer off to travel as I’ve just finished uni. It’s sad, I know, but I’m sure I’ll be back. Who knows though, my future and the job market is still uncertain. I have no idea which city, country, or thing I’ll be doing next year.
Watch Great Britain vs. Japan (Mixed u24) on YouTube (and skip to 1:15:09 for a chuckle – sorry Leon, blame Ben) https://www.youtube.com/live/Ts3-quH3CXc?si=mcBDOZ_aSku9WfyO&t=191
Thanks for reading! In case you missed them, have a look at our features on the Women and Open squad players.
Photos and videos:
- Tom Kiddle https://tomkiddlephotography.pixieset.com/wu242023/
- ItsHogi https://www.instagram.com/itshogi/
- Ultimate Paparazzo, Carl Mardell- https://www.instagram.com/ultimatepaparazzo/
Footnotes
- (Leon) The first was against Canada in the 2v3 re-seeding game. We weren’t too hot that game and at the time we were down a few points, but it was early doors. Canada was playing zone, which was our only weakness this tournament. I’m playing wing at the time and not really expecting much. Out of nowhere, Noddy (Ned Morris) hucks it full pitch with one of his under-16 UK disc golf National champion hucks. I bust it deep trying to catch up, though it doesn’t look doable. I don’t give up and keep running.I’ve run the ⅔ of the pitch at this point and at the last second it hovers. I lay out and barely grab the disc for the score. Everyone. Goes. Mad. We didn’t manage to muster a win, but I think that game was one of my best performances ever. Watch it here – video by @ItsHogi on Instagram.
- (Leon) The second was on universe point, on the second game of the day after being knocked out of the quarters by Japan. The game was chippy, with some questionable calls from both sides. At the end of the game, we’re down 14-12 (I think). We brought it back to 14-14 and had possession right outside the end zone. Offence gets messy and it’s high stall on Swong (Sophie Wong). Queue a veteran timeout call. We had Mr Reliable (Cam Weir) as our main option, then an East-y reset as option 2. Finally, a hammer to me in the middle of the stack as option 3. I assume this means there’s no chance I’ll touch it. My heart was racing and I was just standing there as if I’m back playing uni frisbee in the end-zone. As if in slow motion, she (Sophie Wong) throws it and I bring it down to take the win. I pulled out an aeroplane celebration that we’d been doing in the warm ups to finish it off. What a thrill! Watch it here – video by @ItsHogi on Instagram.